When the conversations of the best pitchers in the history of the New York Yankees is brought up, it easy to talk recent and work your way backwards. You can start with Mariano Rivera, then work back to Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry, Catfish Hunter, Mel Stottlemyre, Whitey Ford, Allie Reynolds, Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez. The exact opposite is true if you decided to talk about the best Yankees position players in the history of the team. The names of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, DiMaggio, Berra all come out before the likes of Jeter, Mattingly, O'Neill, Martinez, etc... Another discussion can be made for the way the Yankees honor their players. I respect the fact that Monument Park honors many of those who have impacted the history of the franchise. Some may think the organization has overdone it with the amount of players that have been honored. While I disagree with the second statement, I feel the Yankees have forgotten a little bit about their earlier history. The easiest way to trace the history of the franchise of this team is to start at Babe Ruth and go forward. In all honesty, the times of Ruth were the start of relevant times for the Yankees franchise. However, there was a longer transition from the New York Highlander franchise of 1903-1912 to the New York Yankees franchise that was still not good but getting better- to the most successful franchise in the history of professional sports. This process started before the arrival of Ruth and before the opening of Yankee Stadium. Managers Frank Chance and Bill Donovan- followed by the legendary Miller Huggins- lead teams that were gradually better than the ones of the past. Wally Pipp, Roger Peckinpaugh and Homerun Baker were all part of the team prior to the arrival of Ruth. Prior to the acquisition of Carl Mays and the re-acquisition of RHP Jack Quinn, the Yankees had a pretty good RHP by the name of Bob Shawkey. If you study the infancy of the Highlanders franchise, you know that HOF RHP Jack Chesbro won 127 games for New York from 1903-1908, including an amazing 41 in 1904. Al Orth won 27 games in 1906 and Russ Ford won over 20 games in 1910 and 1911. In an era dominated by pitching, the Yankees only had three players win over 20 games a total of six times during the first 12 years of their existence. Then, they acquired Shawkey. Shawkey made his MLB debut during the 1913 season for the Philadelphia Athletics season under manager Connie Mack. Though Shawkey did not pitch in the World Series that season against the New York Giants, he did pitch well in his 15 starts. Shawkey was rewarded for his work a year later, when he won 15 games and got to pitch in game 4 of that year's World Series against the surprising Boston Braves. He pitched 5 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 earned, before being relieved by future Hall of Famer Herb Pennock. The Athletics were swept in the series, in what was truly one of the greatest sports stories that nobody talks about. Connie Mack was known to be a very difficult man to negotiate a contract with. Rather than pay any player market value, he would rather trade or sell that player and find somebody else to take his place. He did that on a number of occasions and sold Shawkey to the Yankees during the 1915 season. Shawkey would win 24 games in his first full season in NY- in 1916. This was the first of 4 20 win seasons and 134 wins in his 13 year Yankees career. Shawkey, like many others, left his team to defend his country in World War I in 1918. Before he went into the Navy, he made 2 starts, but rejoined the team in time for the 1919 season. His 1919 season was the start of a run which saw him win 110 games in 6 seasons, including his last three MLB seasons of 20 wins. Before the likes of Carl Mays and eventually Pennock and the return of Quinn, there was Shawkey, the right handed pitcher who was the first steady Yankees successful top pitcher. Shawkey would pitch in the World Series in 1921 and 1922, when the Yankees made it there for the first time. He got no decisions in both the 1921 World Series, where of course the Yankees lost to the New York Giants in the first ever "all New York" World Series. The Yankees played their home games at the Polo Grounds through the 1922 season, but finally the Yankees got their own stadium, just in time for the 1923 season. In fact, their first pitch in the new stadium was thrown by none other than Bob Shawkey. The Yankees went on to win their first World Series that season, with Shawkey winning game 4 of a series the Yankees would eventually win in 6. Shawkey was part of the first 4 Yankees teams to make it to the World Series. And he pitched on the 1927 "Murderers Row" team, but did not pitch in the World Series. Shawkey was one of only five Yankees to be on the AL Pennant winning teams of 1921, 1922 and 1926 AL Pennant winning teams and the 1923 World Series winning team. And one of four players (Babe Ruth, Bob Meusel and Waite Hoyt were the others) to be on the 1921-1923 and 1926-1927 teams. Ruth, Muesel and Hoyt were also on the 1928 team. After the 1927 season, Shawkey pitched in the minors for the Montreal Royals in 1928 until retiring as a player. In 1929, Shawkey took over as the Yankees pitching coach until Huggins fell ill and had to stop managing the team. Huggins would die just five days after he managed his last game. Art Fletcher, who had managed in the big leagues before, led the team for the final 11 games of the 1929 season. Shawkey was named manager for the 1930 season and led the team to a 3rd place finish, behind the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators with 86-68 record. Waite Hoyt had an incredible run himself wearing the pinstripe uniform. Hoyt joined the Yankees before the 1921 season in a deal with the Red Sox, winning 157 games over the course of 10 seasons with the club. He also went 6-3 in World Series play, pitching in 6 World Series, 3 of which the Yankees won. Hoyt should be recognized in his own right, as he and Shawkey were the most successful pitchers to have success with those Yankees teams. Hoyt also pitched in the 1931 World Series for the Athletics against the St Louis Cardinals. While Hoyt has not gotten the recognition he deserves from the Yankees, he has gotten his call to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted by the Veterans Committee in 1969, 15 years before his death in 1984. Shawkey was brought back to the old Yankee Stadium in 1976 after the park was renovated. He threw out the first pitch at age 85, five years before he passed away on 12/31/1980. At the time, the Yankees had started to honor a lot of their past players and continue to do so through this day. It would not have cost too much to give him a plaque, the man was a part of the first five AL Pennant winning teams in the history of the team. In addition, he was with the team as early as 1915. The Yankees have not honored a player to play for them as early as then. I would start with Hoyt when it comes to honoring Yankees pitchers of the past. And Shawkey deserves to be honored as well.

I was inspired by a question posed on one of the baseball pages today, thinking about how most, if not all MLB teams that have Hall of Famers that represented their organizations likely have that one player that is their all time player. Teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers, Giants and others can say that there were more than one player that can be spoken about as their all time player. There are many ways this can be done. Should I include pitchers or just position players? I think it will create a better debate if we include pitchers on this list as well. I will first mention every existing franchise right now, including the Braves when they were in Boston and Milwaukee, the Athletics when they were in Philadelphia, the Orioles when they were in St Louis, the Twins when they were in Washington, the Rangers when they were in Washington and the Nationals when they were in Montreal. This will lead for a great debate and remember, only one player can represent each franchise. Baltimore Orioles: While Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson would all be great choices, there is only one player that would deserve this honor. Cal Ripken is the face of the Baltimore Orioles and would be their Hall of Famer if only one was allowed for each team. Satchel Paige would be a good representation for the St Louis Browns, but he did not play for them long enough. Urban Shocker was great for the Browns but is not a Hall of Famer. Baltimore Orioles: Cal Ripken Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox have had a long and storied history, from players like Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk and Jim Rice. But when a player plays for your team that is one of the greatest of all time, its a no brainer. The fact that Ted Williams existed makes it an easy call. Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams New York Yankees: The Yankees have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of professional sports. But one man changed the game into what it is today. Guys like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Lou Gehrig and eventually Derek Jeter can be many team's Hall of Famer. But not when the Babe played for your team. New York Yankees: Babe Ruth Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have not been around for a long enough time to have the biggest choice between all time players. For me, it comes down to Dave Winfield and Roberto Alomar. Alomar gets the edge because unlike Winfield, he played a majority of his career in Toronto. Toronto Blue Jays: Roberto Alomar Tampa Bay Rays (Tampa Bay Devil Rays): Very difficult to declare a Hall of Famer for a team that has only been around since 1998. One Hall of Famer made a stop in Tampa and for that reason, he gets the nod. Wade Boggs got his 3000th hit in a Devil Rays uniform. Perhaps some day, the team will have a Hall of Famer they can call their own. Tampa Bay Rays (Tampa Bay Devil Rays): Wade Boggs Detroit Tigers: The Tigers have had greats like Al Kaline, Mickey Cochrane, Jim Bunning, George Kell, Hank Greenberg and Hal Newhouser. And the list certainly goes on. But similar to Boston and New York, when you have an All Time player in your history, the choice is not difficult. Ty Cobb it is. Detroit Tigers: Ty Cobb Cleveland Indians: The Indians have had a great series of Hall of Fame players as well. Cy Young played for the Indians, so did Speaker, Napoleon Lajoie, Bob Lemon and Addie Joss. But they were blessed to have had one of the more dominant pitchers to have ever pitched in this game. His numbers would have been more staggering had he not served his country in World War II. Bob Feller was an American hero, but not only that, one of the greats to ever throw off a mound. Cleveland Indians: Bob Feller Minnesota Twins (Washington Senators): When you think of great Twins, the names Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven are some of the names that come to mind. But tracing the roots to the Washington Senators, Walter Johnson was one of the most dominant and successful pitchers the game has ever seen. It is more impressive since he spent his entire career in Washington. Minnesota Twins (Washington Senators): Walter Johnson Chicago White Sox: The White Sox may have one of the more serious debates. Frank Thomas getting in this year adds to the debate. Early Wynn, Fisk, Luis Aparicio, Luke Appling and Nellie Fox are some of the other Hall of Famers that have worn the uniform of the White Sox. I give the edge to Eddie Collins, who his over .330 in his career and was the best White Sox player of his generation and for generations after that. Chicago White Sox: Eddie Collins Kansas City Royals: Similar to Ripken, George Brett is an easy call for the Royals. Kansas City Royals: George Brett Oakland Athletics (Philadelphia Athletics): Hall of Famers Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley and Rickey Henderson all played for the Athletics. But one of the most dominant right handed hitters to ever play this game spent most of his career playing for the Philadelphia Athletics. Jimmie Foxx gets the nod for the Athletics. Oakland Athletics: Jimmie Foxx Houston Astros: Houston Astros: I do feel that there will be company for Nolan Ryan and Joe Morgan, who come to the forefront in regards to being the most notable Astros to be in the Hall. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell will have their day, but for now they cannot be in contention. In regards to Ryan and Morgan, Morgan had his greatest success in Cincinnati. Ryan had as much of his career top numbers in Houston, so he gets the call for the Astros. Houston Astros: Nolan Ryan Seattle Mariners: The Mariners only have one Hall of Fame player to have played for them. Soon they will have the likes of Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr in the Hall to call their own. But for now, their Hall of Famer is Gaylord Perry. Seattle Mariners: Gaylord Perry Los Angeles Angels: Rod Carew stands out as the elite Hall of Famer that played for the Angels, though Jackson, Blyleven and Ryan also spent time in LA. Los Angeles Angels: Rod Carew Texas Rangers (Washington Senators): Nolan Ryan is the only AL player to be two team's Hall of Fame player. Texas Rangers (Washington Senators): Nolan Ryan

Today (5/6/2013) commemorates the three year anniversary of the death of Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts. Roberts was part of the Philadelphia Phillies team referred to as the "Whiz Kids" that won the National League Pennant in 1950. Roberts finished his career with 286 career victories. 286 was three more than Jim Kaat and two less than Tommy John. The only thing is, he was much better than those two. His dominance from 1950-1955 was almost enough in itself to merit a Hall selection. Roberts was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1976, his 4th year of eligibility. The Phillies had gone through a rough stretch until Roberts came up. They had not won a NL Pennant since 1915, when they lost the World Series to the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies were the second team in their own town, as the Philadelphia Athletics had won five World Series to that point. Roberts emerged, at age 23, to go 20-11, 3.02, 21 CG and a NL leading 5 shutouts to help win the Phillies the pennant in 1950. With young budding stars like OFs Del Ennis and Richie Ashburn, fellow starting pitcher Curt Simmons, and the veteran reliever Jim Konstanty, the Phillies looked like they had finally turned the corner to regain some relevance. Unfortunately, the Phillies could not keep the momentum going, as they had a losing 1951 season. In spite of winning seasons in 1952 and 1953, the Phillies struggled for the better part of the 1950s and were even worse until the NL added expansion teams in 1962. 1950 started a streak of six consecutive 20+ win seasons for Roberts. It is hard to imagine Roberts not winning the NL Cy Young Award for all six seasons if it was possible. A comparible award in all of baseball, the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year, was given to Roberts in 1951 and 1955. After his breakout 1950 season, Roberts went 21-15, 3.03 in 1951, 28-7, 2.59 in 1952, 23-16, 2.75 in 1953, 23-15, 2.97 in 1954 and 23-14, 3.28 in 1955. He led the NL in innings pitched all five seasons, complete games every year from 1952-1956, strikeouts in 1953 and 1954, WHIP in 1954, BB/ 9 IP and BB/K from 1952-1954, 1956 as well as wins from 1952-1955. As he started giving up more HRs from 1955 on, it was hard for Roberts to dominate at the level he was before, especially pitching for a Phillies team that did not seem to be getting any better. After his 1-10 season in 1961, nobody would have blamed him if he gave up pitching after that season. I make the case, though, that Roberts was a Hall of Fame pitcher by the time the Phillies sold him to the New York Yankees, a team he never pitched a game for, late in the 1961 season. A great comparison is the career of Catfish Hunter. Roberts of course, pitched until he was 39 after playing for Baltimore, Houston and the Chicago Cubs. Hunter was done pitching by the time he was 33. He made the Hall of Fame based on his dominating seasons from 1971-1975, where he won over 20 games each year. A late bloomer, Hunter did not get into a grove until his 6th season, when he went 18-14 for the Athletics in 1970. Hunter finished with a career record of 224-166, 3.26, 181 CGs and 42 shutouts. Roberts, after he was done pitching in Philadelphia, was 234-199, 3.46, with 272 CGs and 35 shutouts. In 1961, he turned 34. Roberts still wanted to make a run at 300 wins, making a comeback in 1967 for the Reading Phillies. He actually pitched as well as he had in years, going 5-3, 2.48 in 11 starts before he developed arm trouble and retired. Ironically, he made the same amount of starts in 1967 that he had before he made the majors, as he pitched in 11 games in 1948 for the Wilmington Blue Socks of the B League.

We are approaching the anniversary of pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally being granted free agency. Union president Marvin Miller had been working with all players to try to abolish baseball's reserve clause. Curt Flood added to the battle when he refused to report to the Philadelphia Phillies after he was traded by the St Louis Cardinals after the 1969 season. Flood's lawsuit went all the way to the US Supreme Court and brought great attention to the fact that baseball players were, in fact, treated like a piece of property. Flood, however, lost the case in court and was ordered to return to the Phillies. The Phillies, no longer wanting to deal with this distraction, traded Flood to the Washington Senators for two players (plus one player who was traded back to the Senators as the "player to be named later").

In the CBA agreed to in 1970, MLB players were given 10-5 rights, the right to veto any trade as long as the player had ten years of service including the last five with the same team. But, players were still property of the owners and were signed to one year contracts. These contracts included a one year option for the next season. But since the players were given a new contract each season (sometimes for less money because the owner wanted it to be that way), the option was just a formality that was never used. The players never had their options picked up because the owners would offer them a new contract, making the option non-existent. Miller and the players had thought of a way to try to get around that system. They figured out if a player could play a year without a contract, the unpaid season would in essence become the "option" year. After the option year was played out, Miller argued that the particular player should have the rights to play for whatever team they wanted since they finished the obligations of the contract. However, Miller had a difficult time finding a player willing to pitch a season without a contract. Some players elected to do so, but owners would eventually offer the player a contract, many times for a little more money. The owners were aware of what the players were trying to do, so the investment of the extra money made it so they could retain control of the player for the following season. 1975 was the year Miller finally got a player to play without a contract. Messersmith was at odds with Dodgers GM Al Campanis and it hit a point where Messersmith would not negotiate with anybody that was under team president Peter O'Malley. This would result in Messersmith pitching the 1975 season without a contract. So did Expos LHP Dave McNally, however, McNally was just about ready to hang up his career. He chose not to sign a contract with the understanding he may not finish the season. McNally would miss the rest of the season due to injury and intended to retire. But, because he had pitched in 1975 without a contract, Miller convinced him to be part of the grievance with Messersmith. Arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled in favor of the players, and was immediately fired by the owners after the trial. Messersmith was granted free agency after the season and so was McNally, though the latter stuck to his promise to retire. This brought about the new agreement regarding MLB free agency, which stated a player with six years of continuous service in the majors could be eligible for free agency. However, Catfish Hunter was declared a free agent after the 1974 season, after being unable to reach agreement with owner Charley Finley. Of course, he signed with the Yankees.

There are many MLB managers who are given jobs based on their reputation. Some have a reputation of winning games and others get jobs because they have experience. Really outside of Buck Showalter, few managers now a days have gotten jobs because of their history of changing the fates of franchises. One of the best at that was Billy Martin. Another was Dick Williams, who passed away on this date in 2011. After an MLB career that went from 1951 to 1964, he became a manager in the Boston Red Sox minor league system. He took over the big club in 1967, taking a 9th place team in 1966 to the World Series in 1967. Since the Red Sox did not maintain their success, he was let go in 1969. He coached under Gene Mauch after that before landing the Oakland Athletics job in 1971. Though he had some talent such as Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson, he led the team to an AL West title in 1971 and to back to back World Series wins in 1972 and 1973. He quit after the 1973 season after his problems with owner Charlie Finley. He was back in the saddle by the end of the 1974 season, struggling with the California Angels for a couple of seasons before landing the Montreal Expos job before the 1977 season. After a couple losing seasons, he led the Expos to three winning seasons before losing his job in the strike-shortened 1981 season. It turned out to be the Expos first playoff appearance that year. He next moved on to the San Diego Padres where he finished with a .500 record in his first two years in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, he led the Padres to the World Series for the first time ever and along with Sparky Anderson, became the first manager to make it to the World Series in both the American and National Leagues. He struck around one more season in 1985, before taking a chance with the Seattle Mariners before being finished managing in 1988. One thing about Williams was he did not stay very long whereever he was at. Part of it was his combative nature, which wore out his welcome in a couple locations. His controversal move to use star pitcher Steve Rogers as a pinch runner in 1981, which led to an injury, cost him his job with the Expos. He made it to the Hall of Fame in 2008, which was very much deserved.

Of course, July 4th was set to remember the birth of the United States of America. Among others, July 4th was also the birth of longtime New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Sadly, only nine days from today, on July 13th, will be the 2nd anniversary of his death.

George had his detractors but was loved by many in the baseball world, particularly by fans of the New York Yankees. He had a no nonsense approach to his leadership of the Yankees. He defined what a fan wants to see from its team and its leadership. Money was never an obsticle for Steinbrenner, as he felt his team's fans deserved the best players, no matter what the cost was. Among his early signings were Oakland Athletics RHP Catfish Hunter, Orioles RF Reggie Jackson and Pirates RHP Rich Gossage. This led the return of the Yankees to the World Series in 1976 (losing to the Cincinnati Reds) and World Series Championships in 1977 and 1978. The Yankees had hit a rare dry spell in their successful history prior to Steinbrenner purchasing the Yankees in 1973. The Yankees had not made the World Series since 1964 when they lost to the St Louis Cardinals. They had last won two years earlier against the San Francisco Giants. He had them back in the World Series in just three years, a testament to his fearless attitude and expectations that he not only held his team to, but himself. Of course, he got himself into a little bit of trouble on two notable occasions (in 1974 and 1990). While he struggled to put together a winning team for the better part of the 1980s, (the Yankees made the WS in the strike-shortened 1981 season) he continued to make the effort to spend the appropriate money to support his team. It has been known that Gene Michael deserves credit for developing the farm system and not trading the younger players Steinbrenner would have wanted to move while he was suspended. But afterwards, George invested close to 100 % of the team's revenue into maintaining a winning product on the field. Towards the end of the 2000s decade, the Yankees were worth about $1.2 billion. A Yankees fan would always know the team was doing anything it could to win. Despite being a New York Mets fan my entire life, I respect the hell out of what Steinbrenner did in his ownership of the Yankees. It is a baseball fans' dream to have an owner hold his team and management to the levels that George did. Most owners give a certain time frame to win. It was not the case with Steinbrenner. He expected his teams to win immediately. It was obvious by the amount of changes he made with managers, general managers and coaches. You would never see an owner issuing an apology to its fans for only making it to the World Series. In my opinion, I think George Steinbrenner belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame. Hopefully, the Veteran's Committee puts him where he belongs in a couple of years.